THE PUDDLE
Version 4.0
A simple role-playing system by Cassidy based upon “The Pool” by James V. West
Email: kellblackfoot@yahoo.com Web: http://www.randomordercreations.com
Forge Forum: http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=18
DISCLAIMER
The Puddle is a role-playing system based upon
‘The Pool’, © James V. West.
Good ideas are worth sharing. Thanks to James and the
other guys from the Forge for sharing theirs.
Cassidy, August 2004, Email: Cassidy@uk2.net
WHAT IS THE PUDDLE?
The Puddle is a role-playing system designed to facilitate
collaborative storytelling. During play you adopt the role
of a character in the story being told and through their
actions become part of its telling.
The Puddle does not have any rules for hit points, skills,
character classes or levels; in fact it has very few rules
at all. In the absence of such rules the game relies on
the commonsense and willingness of the players to
moderate the actions of their characters. It is the
responsibility of all players to portray their characters
realistically and fairly based on an understanding that
the primary goal of the game is for everyone to work
together to create an interesting and engaging story.
Another key aspect of the game is that the ability of
the players to influence events in the story is not limited
solely to the actions of their characters. At times the
players can actively guide the narrative and direct the
story, essentially assuming the role of the GM.
BEFORE YOU BEGIN…
One person in your group needs to act as the
Game Master or GM. The GM is responsible for guiding
and directing events, setting up scenes, creating
situations, developing plots, playing other characters,
making judgments and generally ensuring that the game
runs smoothly and that the story being created is
engaging and enjoyable to everyone involved.
Before the first session everyone should agree upon
setting for the story. What kind of story do you hope to
create? Where will the story take place? What role will
the characters play in the story?
You will need, about 6-8 6-sided dice per player. Have
some paper and pencils handy for scribbling down notes.
Minatures and maps can also be used to help visualize
events that occur during play.
1
At the start of every game session the GM gives each
player six dice. As a player these dice represent your
dice pool and play a crucial part in the game since they
allow you to influence events in the story so that things
happen the way you want them to happen.
The number of dice in your dice pool will go up and down
during the course of each session; however, you always
start each session with six pool dice.
YOUR CHARACTERS STORY
Since the game is all about creating and telling stories
the first thing you need to do is write a short
introductory story about your character. Their story
only needs to be a few sentences at most, just enough to
get a feel for who they are, a little of their background,
and how they fit into the setting. Try to focus on the
most important aspects of your character and any
significant events in their life.
CHARACTER TRAITS
Next, you need to make a list of your characters
defining traits. A trait is a short definitive statement
about your character, something important, something
that makes them who and what they are. During play
your characters traits provide a focus for their actions
and help define their role in the story.
Initially you can list up to six traits for your character
although you will have the opportunity to expand on that
list as the story unfolds.
Traits can be aspects of your characters personality,
their profession, attitudes and beliefs, quirks, skills,
talents, abilities, enemies, allies, possessions; in fact
anything that helps you bring your character to life.
Try to make your characters traits pertinent to their
story and reasonably specific and descriptive. For
example, saying that Gillian is ‘A thief’, does not tell us
very much at all, whereas saying that Gillian is
‘An adept thief; exceptional pickpocket’ gives us a little
more detail about Gillian without being too vague.
Having decided on a Middle-Earth setting the players
write brief stories for their characters and list six key
traits.
Here are two sample characters and their stories…
GILLIAN’S STORY:
Gillian was a low ranking
member of the Guild of
Thieves in the town of
Strayhold. A child of the
streets, she was an orphan,
and for as far back as she can
remember she has lived by her
wits and the money she earned
picking the pockets of the
wealthy merchants that
frequented the town. Gillian
showed early promise as an
adept thief, a fact that brought her to the attention of
Vlesic, an exiled Dunedain Ranger who was one of the
masters of the Guild. Vlesic took Gillian under his wing
and became her mentor.
Gillian was only thirteen when the ‘Purge of Strayhold’
occurred and the armies of The Witch King sacked the
town and either slew or enslaved its inhabitants. She was
one of the few to escape the slaughter and has spent the
last five years moving from town to town, city to city,
surviving; her skills as a thief standing her in good stead.
Recent events have brought Gillian to Rhudaur and after
a chance meeting with her former mentor Vlesic she
finds herself a member of the mercenary band that he
now leads.
GILLIAN’S TRAITS:
• An adept thief; exceptional pickpocket; incredibly sneaky.
• Former member of the Thieves of Strayhold.
• Born survivor; very streetwise; lives by her wits.
• Four throwing knives; deadly accurate at 10 paces.
• Brave and very determined.
• Extremely perceptive; Can usually tell when someone is lying.
RESOLVING EVENTS
As you play the game and the story unfolds events will
arise where the outcome is in doubt or the event itself is
potentially a key turning point in the story.
Events are typically very broad in scope, for example,
“Do I manage to win the duel?” or “Do I evade my
pursuers?” An event could be a conflict where the
outcome is likely to be either success or failure or it
could be a situation with lots of possible outcomes, some
good, some bad. Events can even occur simply as a result
of someone asking, “What happens next?”
Whenever the outcome of an event could have a
significant effect on the course of the story the GM will
ask you to ‘Roll the Dice’.
2
VLESIC’S STORY:
Vlesic is the quintessential
mercenary; a sword for hire
ever willing to sell his services
to the highest bidder. Born 60
years ago, he is the 2nd son of
a prominent noble family of
Arthedain and in his youth was
a respected Dunedain Ranger
in the service of the King.
Three decades ago he was
forced to flee Arthedain
following his role in blood feud
with a rival noble family. He settled for a time in
Strayhold where his formidable skill as a swordsman and
qualities as a born leader saw him rise in the ranks of the
Thieves Guild.
After the ‘Purge of Strayhold’, Vlesic travelled east to
Rhudaur and drawn by the prospect of war and gold he
formed a mercenary band. Over the last three years he
has been in the service of the few remaining Rhudaurian
nobles still trying to cling to what is left of their realm
following the Witch King’s initial invasion. The situation is
hopeless. Vlesic knows that the Kingdom will eventually
fall and yet the blood in his veins draws him to this noble
cause.
VLESIC’S TRAITS:
• Exiled nobleman of Arthedain; Seeks to reclaim birthright.
• Former Dunedain Ranger; Formidable swordsman.
• Born leader; Strong willed and proud.
• Considers Gillian to be his daughter.
• Former Swordmaster of the Thieves of Strayhold.
• Wields a Mithril edged sword; dwarven craftsmanship.
Vlesic’s mercenary company find themselves in the
employ of a Rhudaurian noble who is desperately
trying to protect the realm from the insidious
influence of the Witch King. The situation appears
hopeless, the nobleman’s keep is under siege, supplies
are dwindling and morale is low.
Vlesic tasks Gillian with venturing to the nearest city
so that reinforcements and supplies can be sent to
aid them. It’s an extremely risky venture. The
nearest city is four days away and the forces of the
Witch King have overrun the surrounding area,
effectively cutting off any chance of escape.
Does Gillian manage to complete her task? What
happens next? It’s time to roll the dice and find out.
ROLLING THE DICE
Rolling the dice determines whether it is you or the GM
that gets to decide the outcome of an event.
Before you roll any dice first check to see if your
character has a trait pertinent to the event at hand. If
they do then the GM will give you a die to add to your
dice pool before you make your roll.
You can roll some or even all of the dice in your dice pool;
the choice is yours. The more dice you roll the greater
your chance of guiding the outcome of the event.
However whenever you roll the dice there is also the
possibility that you may lose some (or even all) of the
dice you roll thus affecting your chances of guiding
future events. The more dice you roll the greater your
chance of achieving your desired outcome but the
greater the chance of losing dice from your dice pool.
ROLLING THE DICE
When you roll the dice count up how many 5’s or 6’s you
roll. This number determines whether it is you or the GM
who guides the outcome of the event. Any dice you roll
that show a 1 or 2 are handed back to the GM; all other
dice are returned to your dice pool.
If you fail to roll a 5 or 6 then the GM will guide the
outcome of the event. The outcome could be good for
your character, it could be bad, it’s entirely up to the
GM to decide.
If you only roll one 5 or 6 then the GM will guide an
outcome to the event that it is generally beneficial or
favorable to your character in some way.
If you roll two 5’s or 6’s then you get the opportunity to
guide the outcome of the event. It’s up to you to decide
what happens. The outcome could be good for your
character, it could be bad; it really doesn’t matter. What
matters is that the outcome you decide upon should
create a memorable and exciting event within the story.
If you roll three or more 5’s or 6’s then in addition to
guiding the outcome of the event you may list a new trait
for your character or modify one of their existing traits.
Any changes you make should be relevant in some way to
the event itself and reveal some new aspect or detail
about your character.
SOME EXAMPLE DICE ROLLS:
The GM asks Gillian to make a dice roll to see if she
manages to sneak out of the keep and avoid the
forces of the Witch King as she tries to seek help.
One of Gillian’s traits is ‘Incredibly Sneaky’ so the
GM gives Gillian a die to add to her dice pool.
Gillian initially had four dice in her dice pool so the
extra dice the GM gives her increases her dice pool
to five.
3
It’s up to Gillian to decide how many of her five pool
dice she wants to roll for this event.
Lets assume Gillian decides to roll four of her pool
dice and rolls 5, 2, 6, and a 4. Since two of the dice
show a 5 or 6 Gillian gets the opportunity to guide
the outcome of the event. The die that shows a 2
would be handed back to the GM and the other three
dice would be returned to Gillian’s dice pool.
If Gillian had rolled 5, 3, 1 and 2 then the GM would
guide an outcome to the event that was generally
beneficial or favorable to Gillian in some way since
she rolled one 5 or 6. The two dice that show 1 and 2
would be handed back to the GM and the other two
dice would be returned to Gillian’s dice pool.
If Gillian had rolled 2, 1, 3 and 2 then the GM would
guide the outcome of the event since Gillian failed to
roll a 5 or 6. It’s entirely up to the GM to decide the
outcome of the event. The dice that show 2, 1 and 2
would be handed back to the GM and the remaining
die would be returned to Gillian’s dice pool.
If Gillian had rolled 3, 4, 4 and 3 then the GM would
guide the outcome of the event since Gillian again
failed to roll a 5 or 6. All four dice would be
returned to Gillian’s dice pool since none of them
showed a 1 or 2.
GUIDING THE OUTCOME OF AN EVENT
When you guide the outcome of an event you decide what
happens and you can direct the story in precisely the
same way that the GM normally would. You can create
situations, add complications, make use of established
story elements or even introduce entirely new elements
of your own. Whilst the event is being resolved you are
effectively in charge of the story.
Here are some suggested guidelines that will help ensure
that when you guide an event the story develops
smoothly and is enjoyable to everyone involved.
1. Guide the event so that it consistent with the
established facts and tone of the story and with
what your character can realistically accomplish
given what is known about them.
2. Make your narrative interesting and significant to
the story. Be inventive and creative and make
things happen that will create opportunities for the
story to progress.
3. Roleplay the event just as the GM would and involve
the other players wherever possible.
4. Do not alter or intrude on the characters of the
other players.
AN OUTCOME GUIDED BY GILLIAN
“Under cover of darkness I manage to sneak out
from the Keep. It is a moonless night and utterly
silent yet I can sense the presence of the enemy
nearby. The river is to the west, and I head that way
since it leads to the city. I move silently and
cautiously, pausing every now and again, my senses
alert for any sound of pursuit. There is none. Come
morning and some five miles south of the Keep I run
across the remains of a large Orc encampment.
Judging by the size of the camp I estimate that a
force of easily 1000+ must have been here and very
recently. Their trail is all too easy to follow, and with
a sense of despair I realize that it leads back the
way I came, towards the Keep. I know that trying to
hold the Keep against a force that large would be
nigh impossible.”
ANOTHER OUTCOME GUIDED BY GILLIAN
“In the dead of night I manage to sneak out from
the Keep. Although I cannot see the enemy I can
sense their presence, lurking in the darkness. The
river is to the west, and I head that way since it
leads to the city. Moving as silently as possible I
near a copse of trees bordering the river and detect
movement in the shadows; I freeze. There is the
harsh sound of metal against metal as if a sword is
being drawn from a scabbard and by the dim light I
make out three hulking figures emerging from the
tree line. In the darkness the feral gleam in their
eyes marks them as the enemy. Orcs!.”
A FAVORABLE OUTCOME GUIDED BY THE GM
“You leave the Keep an hour after dusk and although
you run into some of the Witch Kings Orc patrols you
manage to evade them without discovery. You travel
all night and by morning your body aches from
fatigue and weariness. In the distance you become
aware of the sound of horses approaching and from
cover you see two outriders of the King heading your
way at speed.”
GILLIANS DUEL
During one particular story Gillian found herself in a
duel to the death with one of Vlesic’s estranged
kinsfolk; a swaggering, over-confident but lethally
adept young swordsman by the name of Jerrard.
Gillian knew she was hopelessly outmatched and that
the smart thing to do would be to flee. Gillian
however rarely does the smart thing, she does the
sneaky thing. She knew that Jerrard would be
expecting a clean, fair fight. More fool him since
Gillian never fights fair.
At the time Gillian had four dice in her dice pool and
chose her ‘Brave and determined’ trait as the focus
for the event. As a result the GM gave Gillian an
extra dice to add to her dice pool, giving her five
pool dice in total. She chose to risk everything and
rolled all five of her pool dice.
Gillian rolled 6, 3, 5, 1 and 6. Since three of the dice
showed a 5 or 6 Gillian guided the outcome of the
event. The die that showed a 1 was handed back to
the GM and the other four dice were returned to
Gillian’s dice pool.
Gillian chose to guide the event so that through
bravery, determination and a hefty slice of her own
streetwise cunning she managed to win the duel.
Gillian fought dirty and used Jerrard’s own over-
confidence and misplaced sense of honor against him.
Although wounded, battered and bruised the duel
ended with Gillian’s dagger at Jerrard’s throat
poised to take his life. Rather than kill the young
nobleman Gillian chose to spare him in exchange for a
debt of honour.
Since Gillian rolled three 5’s or 6’s she also chose to
create a new trait linked to the event and keeping it
simple she wrote ‘Jerrard owes Gillian a debt of
honour’. Gillian hopes to make use of that trait in the
future to further her goals and drive the story
forward.
AT DEATHS DOOR
Although characters do not have hit points or any other
measure of health they can (and sometimes will) die.
If you fail to roll a 5 or 6 for an event that the GM
deems utterly lethal then your character will find
themselves teetering on the brink of oblivion.
All is not lost though. The GM will give you a die to add
to your dice pool so that you can make a last ditch dice
roll to see if fate intervenes to save your character.
Roll all your pool dice. If you roll one or more 5’s or 6’s
then your character lives to fight another day and you
get to guide the event detailing how they manage to
cheat death.
If you fail to roll a 5 or 6 then fate deems that death is
indeed inevitable. You get to guide the event detailing
how your character actually dies so take the opportunity
to make it a defining moment in the story. If your
character does die then the game isn’t over. Just create
a brand new character and let the story continue.
COMMENTS & FEEDBACK?
Feel free to drop me an email: Cassidy@uk2.net